Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) has announced an upcoming clinical trial of an intranasal vaccine for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The SAD trial is expected to enroll 16 early-staged Alzheimer’s patients aged 60-85 who will each get two doses of the vaccine, with the second dose administered one week following the first dose.
The Protollin-based vaccine was developed at BWH’s Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases. According to the announcement, Protollin “is designed to activate white blood cells found in the lymph nodes on the sides and back of the neck to migrate to the brain and trigger clearance of beta amyloid plaques — one of the hallmarks of AD.” I-Mab and NHWA, which have exclusive global development, manufacturing, and commercialization rights to Protollin, are funding the vaccine trial.
Ann Romney Center Co-director Howard L. Weiner said, “The launch of the first human trial of a nasal vaccine for Alzheimer’s is a remarkable milestone. Over the last two decades, we’ve amassed preclinical evidence suggesting the potential of this nasal vaccine for AD. If clinical trials in humans show that the vaccine is safe and effective, this could represent a nontoxic treatment for people with Alzheimer’s, and it could also be given early to help prevent Alzheimer’s in people at risk.”
Principle investigator Tanuja Chitnis, Professor of Neurology at BWH, commented, “For 20 years, there has been growing evidence that the immune system plays a key role in eliminating beta amyloid. This vaccine harnesses a novel arm of the immune system to treat AD. Research in this area has paved the way for us to pursue a whole new avenue for potentially treating not only AD, but also other neurodegenerative diseases.”
I-Mab Chairman and Director Jingwu Zang stated, “We are thrilled to see Protollin approved to advance into clinical trials after many years of pioneering work, and we are honored to contribute our expertise in the global effort to develop novel therapies for this devastating disease.”
Read the Brigham and Women’s Hospital press release.
